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Three things from the Astros’ 2-1 loss to the Indians

By Cody Poage

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 06: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros reacts against the Cleveland Indians during Game Two of the American League Division Series at Minute Maid Park on October 6, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 06: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros reacts against the Cleveland Indians during Game Two of the American League Division Series at Minute Maid Park on October 6, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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Although the Astros had their chances, the Indians came out victorious Thursday night.

In a game where Indians’ starter Trevor Bauer had more walks (6) than strikeouts (3), you’d expect more than one run. Gerrit Cole was quite good, however, a pair of front-row home runs did him in. Baseball is weird and strange things happen often. It just wasn’t the Astros‘ night.

Plenty of hard hit outs

Honestly, the Astros’ lineup actually did a decent job of hitting the ball. Based on exit velocity higher than 90 MPH, Houston only had two hits to show: George Springer‘s solo home run in the third inning and Carlos Correa‘s single in the second inning. There were 14 batted balls with an exit velocity higher than 90 MPH that were recorded as an out.

Bounce back start for Gerrit Cole

Last Saturday in Arlington, Cole had the worst start of his career against the Rangers (4 1/3 IP, 9 R). The veteran starter indicated that he was tipping his pitches and Texas’ hitters picked up on it early in his last start. Based on Thursday’s results, Cole fixed the issue as he limited Cleveland to two runs over seven innings while striking out ten. While the offense sputtered against Bauer, which left Cole on the hook for the loss, it was a step in the right direction for the right-hander.

Next. Astros: Houston outfielder Josh Reddick is Burning it Down. dark

Michael Brantley‘s on-base streak

Hit streaks are awesome and everything, but I’ve grown to appreciate on-base streaks even more. After all, drawing walks is part of the game, and it should be highlighted when appropriate. Against his former club on Thursday, Brantley did something worth mentioning: his on-base streak has now reached 17 games. During this streak, Brantley has hit .382/.434/.618 with a 182 RC+. The last time Brantley didn’t get on-base in a game: April 5th against the A’s.

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